Arp 188 and the Tadpole's Tail: APOD: 2012 November 8 - Arp 188 and the Tadpole's Tail
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
2012 November 8
Explanation: In
this stunning vista, based on image data from the Hubble Legacy Archive, distant galaxies form a dramatic backdrop for disrupted spiral
galaxy Arp 188, the Tadpole Galaxy. The
cosmic tadpole is a mere 420 million light-years distant toward the northern constellation
Draco. Its eye-catching tail is about 280 thousand light-years long and features massive, bright blue star clusters. One
story goes that a more compact intruder galaxy crossed in front of Arp 188 - from right to left in this view - and was
slung around behind the Tadpole by their gravitational attraction. During the
close encounter, tidal forces drew out the
spiral galaxy's stars, gas, and dust forming the spectacular tail. The
intruder galaxy itself, estimated to lie about 300 thousand light-years behind the Tadpole, can be seen through foreground spiral arms at the upper right.
Following its terrestrial
namesake, the Tadpole Galaxy will likely lose
its tail as it grows older, the tail's star clusters forming smaller satellites of the large spiral galaxy.